2002 in Georgia (country)

none 2002 Incumbents President of Georgia: Eduard Shevardnadze State Minister: Avtandil Jorbenadze Chairperson of the Parliament: Nino Burjanadze Events 15 January – Georgian police forces under the personal supervision of Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili launch the first phase of anti-criminal operation in the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia's border with Chechnya. 2 March – Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia holds parliamentary election, not recognized by the international community as legal. 2 April – Georgia agrees to withdraw its Defense Ministry troops from Kodori Gorge, the only part of Abkhazia more or less under the control of Georgia. 25 April – The 4.8 b y Tbilisi earthquake shook the area with a maximum MSK intensity of VII–VIII (Very strong – Damaging), causing 5–6 deaths and 52–70 injuries. Damage was estimated at $160–350 million. 27 May – The United States-sponsored Train-and-Equip program launched in the Georgian armed forces. 2 June – Georgia holds the second local self-governance elections. 19 August – President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze announces the start of an all-out "anti-criminal and counterterrorist operation" in the Pankisi Gorge. 23 August – Russian fighter jets bomb the Georgian villages bordering Chechnya, killing one and injuring several civilians; the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Observers Mission to Georgia officially confirms the fact, but the Russian authorities reject it. 14 October – President Shevardnadze and Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II sign a constitutional agreement between the state and the Georgian Orthodox Church at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. 22 November – President Shevardnadze makes an official bid for NATO accession at the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council session in Prague. 3 December – Georgia ratifies the construction of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline. Deaths 25 February – Nugzar Sajaia, Georgian National Security Council secretary (born 1942); suicide. 19 May – Otar Lordkipanidze, archaeologist and anthropologist (born 1930), natural causes. 19 December – Kote Makharadze, a popular actor and sportscaster (born 1925); cerebrovascular disease. 20 November – Kakhi Asatiani, businessman and former soccer star (born 1947); assassinated. References Timeline 2002. Civil Georgia. Accessed on February 11, 2008. 2002 2002 in Georgia Category:Years of the 21st century in Georgia (country) Category:2000s in Georgia (country) Georgia Georgia